1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to an apparatus used for dimensional inspection of a segment of pipe, sometimes called a pipe spool, especially of a three dimensionally bent pipe, and further for marking or cutting and finishing of its both ends.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of method for pipe spool measurement whichever it may be two dimensional or three dimentional.
One is a method where length of every tangent, radius and angle of the spool are measured one by one, or coordinates of every or some important tangents are measured in regard to a certain coodinate system, and the other is a method where only a length between each center of both ends and only each direction of both end tangents are measured.
The former method may be called here tangent system and the latter diagonal system shortly. This invention has been developed for the purpose not only of measurement of a cubic pipe bend but also of marking or cutting/finishing of its ends very quickly and correctly, therefore diagonal system has been adopted for this invention.
In this invention, at first, it was noticed that every pipe spool with any form may be put on floor naturally having one end tangent be laid parallel to the floor while having the other end tangent be laid directing downwards or in some case horizontal, that means not upwards.
Therefore in this invention, it has been aimed that a pipe spool shall not change its posture while it is handled.
In this invention a pipe spool is denoted P, while an end tangent to be laid horizontal is denoted P1 and the other end tangent P2, and these may be called pipe end P1 or P2.
Basic construction of this invention consists of a horizontal base frame long enough to cover diagonal distance of a pipe spool to be inspected, on which a horizontal or substantially horizontal base plane as the reference of coordinate system exists, is equipped with two sets of rotary table rotatable and may be fixed around an axis vertical to said horizontal base plane having at least one of these two rotary tables be mounted on a slide table slidable and may be fixed relatively to another rotary table, and further specialized that a horizontal pipe end support is mounted on any one of these two rotary table having its horizontal axis intersect the virticalaxis of said rotary table at a determined proper effective height, and besides another pipe end support is mounted on a swing table swingable and may be fiexed around an axis which is supported and fixed on another rotary table so as to let three axes, that is axis of the pipe end support, axis of the swing table and axis of the rotary table intersect each other at a point at the same height with that of said horizontal pipe end support.
As stated before a reason why one end of a pipe spool is to be supported horizontal is that it is the most natural posture of a pipe spool when it is laid freely on a floor, and then such construction is considered not only the most reasonable for loading and disloading of a pipe spool to be inspected, but also it is important that such support is simple.
Horizontal pipe end support for P1 is so formed that said horizontal pipe end should be very easily loaded and unloaded by only lifting or lowering the spool with a crane or hands.